Safety

Noisebridge values safety. Here's some safety guidelines. Be very careful about fire safety. (see below) Be very careful about alcohol and intoxication in the space and never use high risk machines or let others use such machines while intoxicated. (see below) Do not get highly intoxicated or let others do so in the space and do not let under 21s use or access alcohol in the space. In emergencies, follow safety procedures for contacting emergency services and other authorities.

Safety Guild maintains safety practices at Noisebridge. MAINTAINERS: User:LX RECRUITING: If you'd like to volunteer some time with the Noisebridge Safety Committee, the mailing list is safety@lists.noisebridge.net. The archives are here.

RECRUITING! Maintainer volunteers wanted, consider volunteering to become a maintainer.

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FIRE SAFETY

Paid fireinspections

Yearly inspections from Cal Fireshield, https://calfireshield.com/ They should inspect our extinguishers, signage, exits, and so on to help advise us on keeping up to code. They will recharge or replace extinguishers. This costs us about $300 a year.

Basic fire safety

Go over this list at Tuesday meetings. At the least, have a monthly walk through with a group from the meeting!

Extinguishers should be mounted on the wall every 25 feet down our long walls, with clear signs above them.

All exits should be marked with lit signs that have current and tested battery backup power in case electricity goes out in a disaster.

The two fire doors need to be clear, have crash bars for barrier and lock free exiting. The extra doors near the stairwells (that wall the main space off from the stairs up) must be kept closed (because stairwells spread fire very quickly). Be sure to close them when you lock up the space.

Paths from the stairs to the fire exits should be COMPLETELY clear, no junk, lockers, clutter.

FIRST AID

First aid kits are on the white "useful stuff" shelves in the entry, and in the downstairs bathroom.

We also have Narcan, Covid tests, and drug test kits (to test 'party' drugs for fentanyl).

High Risk Machine Use Safety

When using High Risk Machines such as Laser Cutter or Wood Shop there are significant risks and safety procedures that must be followed.

• DO NOT USE HIGH RISK MACHINES WHILE INTOXICATED.
• Do not allow anyone else to use high risk machines while intoxicated.

Alcohol

Minimal responsible alcohol is allowed at parties and fundraisers but all concerned must maintain our Excellence policy while doing so and remember some safety guidelines and excellence issues we need to take seriously.

• Do not get highly intoxicated or encourage other people to be highly intoxicated at the space as it can encourage unexcellent behavior and create an uncomfortable environment.
• Do not allow people under 21 years of age to drink alchohol in the space. If you see someone who looks possibly too young drinking or asking to drink, it is excellent to ask for them to show identification before allowing them to continue.
• If someone does not agree to show identification and tries to drink in the space, they may be asked to go elsewhere
• If someone refuses to refrain from drinking or being asked to drink elsewhere it may escalate to a non-negotiable Ask to leave.
• Refusing an Ask to leave is unexcellent.
• Highly intoxicated people pose heightened risk of escalating to an 86 (permanent ban).
• Do not store alcohol at Noisebridge anywhere minors could access it. (Temporary drink storage for Fundraising should be locked up.)

Lab Equipment Safety

See Noisebridge Lab Safety and Ethics Page.

In Case Of Bad Things

POLICE: Dial 911 for emergencies only!.

• You may get a faster response when calling from a cell phone or VoIP phone by calling the SF police at 415-553-8090. Program that number into your phone. The reason is that non-landline calls may go through a general dispatch center where wait times sometimes exceed 1 hour.
• For non-emergencies (noise complaints, questions, etc...), call 415-553-0123.
• It is considered very unexcellent to call the police except in case of life threatening violence. In all other situations the police are not welcome at or inside of noisebridge. In nearly all cases SFGH Psychiatric Emergency Services 1001 Potrero Avenue Ph: 415-206-8125 are more appropriate. However sometimes they defer to the police because they are short staffed, or will not help without the police. Please take this into account and do the utmost to deal with situations without inviting the police to noisebridge.

Fire: Dial 911 for emergencies.

• The designated meeting place in case of evacuation is the sidewalk area in front of the Mi Ranchito market.
• For non-emergencies call 415-553-0123.

San Francisco City Services: (graffiti, street conditions, alley cleaning, utilities, etc): 311

Water (flooding): Call the landlord.

Minor Medical (< 10 hit points): There's a first aid kit in the middle of the south side of the classroom wall.

Major Medical (>= 10 hit points, shop accident, gunshot wound, etc): Dial 911 for emergencies. The closest hospital is the level 1 trauma center at San Francisco General Hospital - Emergency. Google thinks there's a hospital very close by on 18th, but it's just a drug clinic and does not have emergency services.

VIRAL OUTBREAK SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES

Covid-19 risk levels are no longer highly elevated like they were in 2020-2021 but in the event of another outbreak we can reuse the policies we reached in the past as part of our MinistryOfContagion managing COVID-19 safety concerns.

During an outbreak situation declared by the Noisebridge safety council or state authorities:

• Anyone in the space needs to follow our social distancing safety practices.
• Masking is required so long as at least one person wishes people to be masked
• MAX CAPACITY : No more than 49 people will be allowed in the space at once and no more than 25 should be present with adequate ventilation and event safety considerations handled.
• WEAR MASKS: Wearing masks greatly reduces spreading. It's optional, but effective.
• Noisebridge is a vaccine positive space for pandemic safety reasons.

Payphones Don't Work

As of 2026 it is now part of the Gate.

As of 2018-04-07 the phones in the space are not functional. -l

If you pick up a phone in the space, and dial 311, you'll page a bunch of Noisebridgers who will join you. (Use +1 415 494 2858 ext 311 on external phone or mobile).

• The pay phone in the space is a VoIP phone and does not have 911 service. Call 415-553-8090 from that phone.